Don't buy the CG until you are able to try one, fit can vary significantly from one manufacturer to another. My best suggestion would be to rent several different guns before you purchase, very few people pick the "right" gun the first time. If you liked the first instructor, take some more lessons and do some more shooting before purchasing a gun.
Have fun and welcome to the madness.

 

Best way to beat your buddies is to have a coach teach you properly from the beginning. If I was to start all over again, I'd actually buy a semi auto to figure out my ideal fit. They are often more adjustable if you go with Beretta. I'd learn to shoot well with that gun after the coach has adjusted for fit and shooting style. Yes shooting style plays into fit. That's why if you invest early into an OU, you will more than likely replace it or modify it extensively. Others may argue but shotgun fit and shooting style is something that develops, it doesn't start on day 1. Bottom line, find someone who is reputable and run the questions through the professionals and not the boys hanging around the club, they have bad habits already. When I say questions, I mean everything. what ammo? what gun? etc..

 

When I was shooting smallbore 3 position my “style” changed over time as I experimented with everything and my scores improved. Good thing the rifle was wildly adjustable. What do you think of adjustable combs, ribs and length of pull?

 

Yes.

 

If you get too many parts of the gun adjustable you can keep adjusting things until your head spins. Unless you need a much shorter or longer length of pull just starting with an adjustable comb is a good idea. How tall are you and what is your sleeve length?

 

5'10" tall, 32" sleeve length

 

Whether or not you get a CG or stay with the current gun look into hiring a qualified coach you can communicate with. Hopefully they may know a bit about fitting a shotgun. Ther is more to fitting a shotgun than height and sleeve length.

Don

 

Coaching - Spending time with a good coach is a good investment. I started out with a few lessons on basics, over time I added a few more lessons on other matters. A coach you click with makes a huge difference. A good coach will teach you how to practice effectively when they are not around regardless of whether the subject is fundamentals or how to address a certain type of target(s) you are struggling with.

Ammo - 12 gau, 1 oz, 1,200 fps +/- 50, # 7 1/2 or 8’s. It’s all you will ever need.

Guns - before a purchase handle & shoot as many as you can. Don’t be in a big hurry to buy. Take the time to figure out the general fit & feel you need & like. If you are 5 10 plus or minus a couple of inches, and of average build (size 42 jacket) most off the shelf O/U’s with a 30 barrel will work just dandy. At the end of the day you will figure out what fit, handle & balance characteristics you prefer. Fit is pretty objective. The preferred feel & balance of a gun is very subjective & individualistic, and may even change as you gain experience. As you narrow the list of preferred guns down visit with a coach or local stock fitter and make your decision.

This is the important part! Once you buy your gun put all other opinions about guns (including your own second guessing) out of your mind and learn how to shoot the one you own. I promise you 99.9% of shotgunning failures is the Indian not the arrow.

All the internet can do is give you broad sweeps of possible gun choices. Only a knowledge person standing beside you can make useful recommendations, simply because all of us are built so differently. The good news is if your not extremely short or tall, if you don’t have an unusual body or face shape most off the self guns will fit good enough for you to learn how to shoot a shotgun reasonably well.

Once you get shotgun basics down, with time & experience you learn how to judge & address particular targets. Standard ammo that creates minimal recoil is all you need. As others have pointed out, your opinion about guns will develop over time. For now figure out which ones handle naturally for you and purchase one that will hold up to sporting clay volume.

By the way, I own 2 CG’s & they are my go to guns. I own 2 Berettas & enjoy them also. If you have shot a CG & it fit you well don’t hesitate to purchase. They are well made & hold up to volume. I say this because you liked the feel of the Browning. To me Brownings & CG’s handle and feel very differently. Handle & shoot enough guns to figure out the feel & balance you perfer. There is a good chance you will find more than one brand or model that is right for you.

Best of luck!

 

As an experienced shooter, when you mount a shotgun you probably have an idea of what feels good and what feels a little awkward. That's a good thing. BUT, you're probably looking down the barrel and "aiming" it at something. That's NOT a good thing unless you're maybe hunting something using slugs.

Hopefully the person that did your intro session made it clear that shotguns shooting at clay targets get pointed, not aimed. That being the case if a shotgun feels pretty good to you as an experienced shooter, it's probably close enough, fit wise, to get you on your way WITHOUT experimenting with things.

With your small bore 'experimenting', a 1/2" MOA improvement showed up immediately and you knew that xyz worked better than what you did before. With shotguns, you're shooting roughly a 30" "bullet" at a roughly 4" target, that's moving, so it takes major technique improvements before little things like an adjustable rib does anything you might notice.

LOP changes or adjusting the comb can help a bit with technique but before shelling out big bucks for a gun with all the whistles and bells, get one that feels good and is close, like the Browning you shot, and spend the extra $$ on targets and maybe some lessons from a qualified instructor.

Oh, and welcome to the addiction!!

 

rthor,
Given your size a standard gun should fit you close enough to start out with. Get a gun, buy some 1oz loads as recommended above, take a couple lessons and go shooting! Have lots of fun.

 

Eight pound gun. 8.5 is better. 32 inch bbls. But 10 flats of 1 iz loads. Better 30 flats. Go shooting with mod or tighter chokes. Get a lesson or two.

 

Can't argue with that ^^.

(...except for the 30 flats thing)

 

Thank you all!

 

I’m also a very avid long-term competitive/hunter rifle shooter in addition to being an equally avid shotgunner. Aside from the “moving target” aspects requiring a different type of firearm, and skill development, is the visual context. Accurate/precise rifle shooting requires eye focus on bead/crosshair(aiming)…This eye focus shifts to the target/bird(pointing)with the shotgun. Once I had learned to switch this on and off at will, my sporting clay scores improved dramatically.

 

Training: take all the lessons you can afford.
Equipment: get the CG. It won't be the last gun you buy if you stay in this sport, but you have to start somewhere and if you like that gun, well, then go for it.

 

I got into competitive shooting after about 3000 shells practicing. I also shot 3 flats before any tournament.

When I won D class for the 2d time the club mgr said I had to enter the next shoot in C. Then I studied those rules.

 

I would chime into buy the CG, you won’t be disappointed, great gun and great service. I moved to CG after owning and shooting 725s for ten years, actually enjoy shooting both, both fit me perfectly with slight change of adjustable comb, only change to CG was swapping out the factory pad for a Pachmayr SC100 pad, my preference. Also don’t waste money on aftermarket chokes, factory Browning and CG chokes in the appropriate constriction will do the job. Also agree on a few lessons and one other consideration, buy a couple of flats of 7/8s 7.5s ,with LM or tighter those will crush targets and won’t be harsh on recoil in extended practice sessions , save the one ounce for tournaments . Have fun and realize the way to improving is to burn gunpowder ,give yourself a couple of thousand rounds before taking this sport too serious.

 

Wanted to clarify that I was never dissatisfied with Browning, still own three 725s, it’s just at 70 yo I could afford the CG and am sure my grands will enjoy shooting them long after I’m gone.

 

Excellent thoughts and advice.... thank you all!

 

My preferred Sporting Clays gun is a 30" Beretta Onyx Pro Sporting. Have had it a while.
Have a 32" Beretta 694 Sporting, but I just use that for Trap shooting, didn't like it for Sporting Clays.

If the Browning guy nice, I'd look there, the CXS is one of their Sporting Clays models.

If you can try out a few guns for fit that would be nice. Find the one that fits you best out of those you try. Then get one and have it fit to you, might only need minor adjustments but it's worth it. For me, just a thicker recoil pad worked perfect.